


running from the debt in the battle of cyber heads

by itisjosh



Series: change won't come if we don't begin [4]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Murder, Blood and Injury, Bounty Hunters, Child Abandonment, Confidence, Gen, Hiding, Hunters & Hunting, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Lies, Magic, Mentors, Murder, On the Run, Pride, Sarcasm, Survival, Swordplay, Techno :), Theft, Training, who's hunting who?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Technoblade's always been a thief at heart, a little too cocky for his own good. It's never been an issue until the entire order of hunters in his world is ordered to hunt him down and kill him.Luckily for them, Techno's always enjoyed a good game of cat and mouse.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: change won't come if we don't begin [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939360
Comments: 54
Kudos: 478





	1. things i do to get by

Techno leaps over the barrel sent rolling towards him, doing a small backflip when he jumps. He skids to the ground, hooves scuffing the dirt behind him. He regains his balance fairly easily, taking a second to look over his shoulder and grin at the guards left scrambling behind him. Techno shoves a piece of bread in his mouth, wrinkling his nose at the taste of copper on his lips. He didn't think that the guard's throat had been _that_ slashed open to spray _that_ far, but whatever. He scrambles into a hoard of people, disappearing into the crowd as soon as he flips his hood up.

Well, not entirely. He knows that he doesn't quite look normal enough, but at first glance, you probably couldn't tell. Techno can hear the shouting of the hunters behind him, hears the screams of some random civilians. He kind of wants to murder them, too, because they're not even the ones getting _chased_. Techno snaps his head towards a low roof, swerving suddenly. He taking a running leap, bounces off of a nearby barrel, and propels himself onto the roof, nearly sliding off in the process. 

He ducks down, biting down on his lip on accident. He hears the arrows whiz past him, which sucks. He figured he'd have a few more seconds to plan, but whatever. Techno reaches down into his pocket, grabbing the Ender Pearl he stole a couple of days ago. He breathes out, closing his eyes for a brief second. He's never used an Ender Pearl before. He stands back up, launching the Pearl as far as he can, grinning down at the hunters before he feels himself whir away, the entire world spinning for a second. He blinks, looking around him, and.. _fuck yeah_. He grins, starts to run again. That's at least a ten minute headstart for him. Techno dodges low-hanging branches, leaping over fallen logs and rocks. His hooves clack against a few of the stones, sending an echoing throughout the forest. That could be a good tactic, actually. 

Techno reaches down for his sword, getting it out as he keeps running. He can hear the shouting behind him get a little louder, and.. _oh_. He curses at the neighing of horses, veering off to the left. Thank god the forest is absolutely massive. He pauses, slamming his foot down on a rotting log. It goes crashing to the ground, creating a fairly well-sized barrier, cutting off the easiest route. Techno starts to run again, shoving another piece of bread into his mouth. Admittedly, he kind of messed that up. He shouldn't have done it in such plain sight, but he was getting bored and antsy, and the hunters are all _assholes_ , so..

He's not really sure when the hunters started to become pricks. They used to be really nice, really good people. They didn't hunt random kids for no reason. Techno's watched too many children die for no reason. He's not going to let it happen again, he isn't going to let them go after _kids_. He might be a kid, but he's not like everyone else. He's good at surviving, good at killing. Techno pauses, stopping to catch his breath, hand pressed against a tree. He can hear the hunters screaming for him, their footsteps getting a little more distant. They probably went the wrong way on purpose, to try to get him to think that he's safe. Techno's done this before - he knows how hunters work. Techno sighs, ducking his head. God, this is bullshit.

"Where's it gone?" He snaps back up, his entire body going rigid. He knows that voice. "That son of a bitch! How'd you all keep managing to lose it?" Techno doesn't know the man's name, but he knows his title - Chief. "It's just some fucking child. It doesn't even know how to fight, why'd you think it keeps running? Just corner the damn thing, for the love of god. What's wrong with all of you?"

"Chief," another voice rumbles. "It's not that easy. The pig-nosed kid is.." the other man sighs. "He's smart, sir. He's very smart. It's why he keeps g-"

Chief snorts, and Techno hears a gurgling noise, followed by choking. Followed by silence. "The pig-nosed kid is an _it_. Let that be a reminder to you all. It is not a person. It is not important, it is just another target, another useless, waste of air. Do _not_ personify it." 

Techno closes his eyes, rage bubbling in his chest. He clenches his fists around nothing, pulling his iron sword off of his back. He stalks forwards, careful to keep away from anything that could snap under his weight. He sways on his feet, keeping the weight off of his feet as best as he can. He stares at the back of Chief's head, fury screaming in his head. He ducks down, keeping himself low enough to the ground to not be spotted. Techno breathes out, rushes forwards. He stabs his sword straight through Chief's chest, yanking it out and kicking the man to the ground. "Kid's here!" A hunter screams, bow pointed at his throat, and-

He feels the world whirl around him, his lungs screaming, burning. He hits the ground, feeling rock and stone under his fingers, rather than grass. What the..

"Hey," a voice says from over him. Techno scrambles back, grabbing his sword off of the ground. "Wait, wait, shit, sorry. Didn't mean to spook you. Hunters, am I right?" The man grins, brushing back his hair. "Hi. I'm Fruitberries. Call me Fruit." 

"Uh," Techno blinks, not entirely sure what the fuck's happened. "I'm Technoblade. Call me Techno."

Fruit beams at him. "Well, Techno. It's nice to meet you. Wanna learn how to fight?"

* * *

Techno gasps for air, sliding to the right, his hooves scuffing the ground. "That was unfair!" He shouts, raising his shield to block, Fruit's axe clashing with his sword. "You're cheatin'!" He complains, ducking down. He kicks out with his left foot, taking Fruit to the ground. He stands above him, prepared to make the final blow, and-

He feels his back hit the ground, air exiting his lungs. Fruit stands over him, axe pointed down at his throat. "Dead," he grins, taking a step back. He offers Techno a hand, which he begrudgingly accepts. "So, you did really good! But you fucked your footwork," Fruit explains. "You went with your weaker foot, which is your left. I didn't hit the ground as hard because of that. Make sure to train up with your left foot, but for now, use your right foot whenever we spar, okay? That was really good blocking, though," Fruit tells him, beaming. "I know you don't like shields, but they're important. And you almost managed to knock my axe out of my hands. You're doing a lot better, Techno."

Techno smiles, ducking his head so Fruit can't see. "Thanks," he wheezes, clutching his chest for a second. "Do you think I'm better than the hunters?" Fruit barks out a laugh, clapping a hand down on Techno's shoulder. "What? It's a genuine question, Fruit."

"You already know you are, Techno," Fruit snorts, giving him a shove. "I'm not gonna boost your ego even more. Hunters aren't as well-trained as they used to be. It's mostly just finding bounty hunters and mercs' with nothing better to do. They aren't even given formal training, most of the time. I was." Techno nods, quietly processing the information. Fruit used to be a hunter. He used to find people who broke the laws and bring them in to the King, to let them present themselves and their stories. Back then, apparently, hunters weren't as corrupt. Killing was only if the person was dangerous, or had tried to kill them first. And even then, it wasn't suggested. Fruit's young, too. He's barely nineteen. 

"When did you get enlisted?" Fruit shrugs, looking down at his fingers. 

"Think I was.." he frowns, narrowing his eyes. "Uh..nine? At that point, they were just trying to fix up the order. They were just trying to get more people to be raised as hunters, and I was the only kid in my family, so.." Fruit shrugs again. "I left two years ago, when things started to get bad. I couldn't kill kids, man. Especially for no reason." 

Techno nods, frowning as he picks up his sword. "Did you know Chief?"

"Yeah," Fruit beams. "He was a sweetheart. Always taught the new kids how to read, how to write, shit like that. I'm not sure what happened to him," he sighs. "Probably let the power get to his head. It's better for everyone that he's finally dead."

"Thanks.." Techno sighs, ducking his head. "For savin' my life. I didn't even know what I was doin', I was just..angry, I guess." Fruit nods, patting his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Techno. I'd be angry, too. I _am_ angry, too. Let's get back to training, alright? Let's fixate on your footwork this time." 

Techno grins. "Yes, Sensei!" He mock solutes the man, twirling his sword in his hand. "I'm gonna win this time. You don't stand a _chance_."

* * *

Techno fumbles his Ender Pearl, throwing it as far as he can. He feels himself warp, his lungs soaring for a second. He hits the ground, regaining his balance nearly immediately. "Now!" He shouts, swinging out his sword, whirling around on his feet to face the party of hunters. Techno throws up his shield when the first arrow flies, slamming his foot into the first hunter's chest. She goes down with a cry, and he finishes her off with a quick hit to the throat. Fruit teleports in a second later, slicing a man's throat, stabbing another a second later. "Unfair!" Techno grins, slamming his fist into a man's face. He goes down, and Techno brings down his sword, nearly decapitating him. "Two to two, Fruit. You scared you're goin' to lose?" 

"Never," Fruit grins back at him, skidding the right. He slashes towards another hunter, and Techno shakes his head, turning back to face another patrol. He grabs the crossbow off of his back, keeping the shield directly in front of him. He kicks his shield up for a second, letting it soar in the air. He shoots three hunters, rapidly drawing and reloading his bow. He catches his shield when it falls back to the ground, putting his crossbow back where it had been. "How many was that? I'm up to seven."

"Five to seven," Techno curses, gripping his sword a little harder. He rushes the next hunter, stabbing him through the chest without a second of hesitation. He spins on his heels, his hooves giving him some sort of natural traction. Thank god for that. Techno punches another hunter in the face, bringing her to the ground without much of an effort. Hunters are so fucking weak. "Seven to seven," he calls, driving his sword through her chest. Techno spins back around, raising his shield just in time before an arrow hits him. He throws an Ender Pearl behind the man, plunging his sword into his chest. "Eight to seven!" 

Techno shoves the man in front of him with his shield, sending him stumbling back. To be fair, the hunter manages to block Techno's sword, manages to regain his balance. Techno fakes a parry, taking a step forward when the man takes one back. He flicks his wrist, sending his sword flying into the man's heart. He yanks it out, whirling around on his heels to face another hunter. He winces when he feels an arrow graze the side of his arm, raising his shield again. "Thirteen to eight." Fruit coos, his voice a little more distant than Techno would like. 

He breathes out, grabbing his other sword off of his hip. He kicks with his right foot, striking the hunter right in the chest. He slams down his foot on the man's throat, grinning at the crunch. He's never really been that interested in killing people, but the rush..the adrenaline..Techno shakes his head, sliding to the left to avoid another arrow. He twirls both of his swords for a second, rushing the next hunter he sees. He kills the man with ease, turns around to strike down another hunter. She's dead. Techno stabs another man in the chest, pulling it out to block a sword to his left. "Fifteen to thirteen!" Techno beams, punching the next hunter in the face.

"You're _so_ lying!"

"I'm not!" He laughs, ducking under the sword of another hunter. "I'm just that good, what can I say?" Techno dodges another strike of a sword, blocking with his shield. He headbutts the man in front of him, sending him scrambling to the ground. He can feel his tusks ache a little, vaguely regretting doing that. His tusks are _way_ too sensitive for his liking. "I'm doin' so much better than you!" Techno grins, leaping back to avoid the slash of a knife. 

"Get him! He's the- he's the pig-nosed kid!"

Techno turns to face the voice, recognising the woman from that day in the forest, the one who was on patrol with Chief. "I'm the Pig-Nosed _Lord_ ," Techno corrects her, a grin stretching across his face. "Run." He whispers, and she does, shouting for her patrol to retreat. He hears the rest of the hunters shouting and screaming, scrambling to get away from the duo. He turns to face Fruit, grinning even more.

"The Pig-Nosed Lord, really?" Fruit asks, wiping a bit of blood away from his mouth. "I'm not even that flashy." Techno laughs, shrugging.

"They called me the pig-nosed kid when I was younger," he shrugs again. "Figured I might as well give 'em somethin' new to call me. Not that much of a kid anymore."

"You're like, ten." 

Techno snorts. "And you're barely a teenager."

"Oh, fuck off," Fruit gives him a shove, beaming down at him. " _Anyways_. I'd say we did pretty good," he claps his hands, looking prouder than Techno's seen him in a long time. "Let's head back home."

And so they do, adrenaline fading the more they talk. Techno isn't sure if he's been this happy in a long time.


	2. this house has never been the same as before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want extra feelings listen to "paint" - the paper kites for this ;)

"Fruit!" Techno shouts, throwing himself in front of the blade, raising his shield at the last second. His shield shatters, the wood splintering around him. He barely manages to fumble out his sword, rushing the man. He plunges his sword into the hunter's chest, quickly stepping back to guard Fruit with his body. "You're good, right? You're fine," Techno breathes out, positioning himself between the hunters and Fruit. He doesn't need a shield to win, he'll be fine. Fruit will be fine. He picks up Fruit's sword, glaring at the hunters in front of him. "You're fuckin' dead." Techno snarls, and then he starts to move. He stabs two hunters at once, yanking both of his swords back. He slams the hilt of one of the swords into the next hunter's face, kicking out at the next. 

He ducks under a swipe of a hunter's sword, kneeing him in the chest when he gets the chance. Techno throws his sword forwards, holding open his hand, waiting for it to come back. It does. He doesn't know what Fruit enchanted it with, but his swords will _always_ come back to him. He grips his other sword, throwing his second again. It plunges through another hunter, ripping itself out without much effort.

Techno stares at the next wave of hunters, his heart pounding. He got stabbed in the leg a few minutes ago, he can't..he can't stand for very long. He can't do this for much longer. He ducks down, grabbing Fruit, throwing him over his shoulder. Techno grabs a Pearl from his pocket, throwing it as far as he can. As soon as he lands, he throws another one, and another one, and then another one. 

Techno gags, biting down on his lip. Warping so much in a singular minute is dangerous, deadly, even. It could kill someone who hasn't done it before. He doesn't slide Fruit off of his shoulders yet, gasping to catch his breath, to regain his balance. After a second, Techno starts to move, jogging through the forest, careful to avoid sticks or leaves. He can see their mountain from here, thank fucking god. Techno quickens his pace, nearly sprinting to their home. "You're fine, Fruit," he murmurs, hunching over to push himself into the cave. It's covered by a huge boulder, and he barely can get through it anymore. He'll have to replace it. 

_They'll_ have to replace it.

He sets Fruit down, lighting a torch. He pushes the boulder to cover the entirety of the entrance to the cave, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "You're good. You're good."

"Techno," Fruit coughs, shifting. "I'm not okay."

"You _are_ ," he protests, grabbing his bandages. "You're fine."

"They got me through the chest, Techno," he breathes out, his voice sounding ragged, broken. "Pierced a lung. It's..I'm not going to be fine," Fruit wheezes, squeezing his eyes shut. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't want to..there's still so much you have to learn, the.." Fruit breaks off into a coughing fit, doubling over, clutching at his stomach. "I'm so sorry."

Techno shakes his head, feeling his eyes start to water. "No, no, _no_. Fruit, it's fine, it's okay. You're gonna be fine," he whispers, moving closer to his mentor. "It's okay. It's okay, I swear, you're gonna make it through this, right? You're _Fruit_ , you're too..you're not goin' to die. You can't die." Techno places his hand on Fruit's, locking eyes with the man. He's not even a man, he's so young. He's so young, he can't die, he can't..he's too good of a person, good people aren't supposed to die.

"I love you, okay?" Fruit smiles, blood trickling down his lips. "You're the best little brother anyone could've asked for. I love you, Techno. Be safe, for me." 

"I.." Techno sniffles, glancing away for a second. "I love you, too, Fruit."

"Hey," Fruit squeezes his hand. "Smile for me, okay? Don't look at me like that. We'll see each other again. Promise." 

"You can't promise that, respawnin' doesn't _happen_ on this world, you're gonna-"

"Shh," Fruit grins, his eyes looking sunken in already. "Smile, man. Smile." 

So Techno does, tears streaming down his face as he clutches his friend, his brother, in his arms. He sobs into the side of Fruit's shoulder, feeling his breathing slow, and then end altogether. He feels the blood stain his clothes and hands, but he doesn't care, he can't care. Fruit is _dead_ , he's gone, he's..

"I'll make it worth it," Techno promises, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'll make this worth it."

* * *

"Fifty-seven," Techno supplies, dropping to the ground. He leans up against the tree next to Fruit, sighing. "Fifty-seven today. Almost finished off three patrols, but they ended up retreatin'. You know, they're actually startin' to call me the Pig-Nosed Lord," Techno snorts, setting the bundle of flowers down on Fruit's grave. "I think it'll be another couple of months before I actually can get to the King. He's the fuckin' reason all of this has happened," he sighs, closing his eyes. "I've been doin' okay. It's been a bit since you..y'know. A year, maybe? I think I'm twelve. You know, _you_ were the one keepin' track of my age, Fruit. Kinda irresponsible of you to go and.." he shakes his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. I..I've been tryin' my best. It's hard. I miss you." 

Techno stares up at the sky, watching as some of the tree leaves flutter down to the ground. "Hey, little guy," Techno whirls around to face the voice, internally cursing himself for not bringing his swords. He takes a few steps back, narrowing his eyes at the man. Fruit always said that he was small enough to pass off as a child. Maybe that'd be fucking useful for once. "My name's Phil. Do you have a name?" Techno curls his lip, resisting the urge to punch Phil in the face. Of _course_ he has a name. He's not just some lonely little orphan out in the woods. He frowns a bit more. Is he..is he an orphan? He never knew his parents, and Fruit's dead, and..oh. Maybe he is. Maybe he is an orphan. "I'm sorry. You're probably scared, huh?" Techno really, really wants to beat the shit out of this man. _Scared?_ He's the _Pig-Nose Lord_ , for the love of god. Techno isn't scared of anything. "It's okay. I get it. I've got food, you can have it. You don't have to come with me if you don't want, but I don't know if anyone's taking care of you out here," Phil sighs. "I don't want you to die out here."

Techno takes the bag that was thrown out in front of him, quietly unzipping it. He's not a goddamn child, he's..whatever. "Technoblade," he sighs. "That's my name."

"It's nice to meet you, Technoblade," Phil grins, his entire posture changing. "Can I call you Techno for short?" Techno gives him a half-hearted shrug. That's basically his name at this point. "How long have you been out here? Do you have anyone else with you?" Techno scoffs, glancing down at Fruit's grave.

"Does it look like I've got anyone else?" He glares at Phil, annoyance seeping into his face. "I'm, I don't know. Nine?" He offers. He's twelve. But Phil doesn't need to know that. "I stopped keepin' track after a bit. Not like it matters, anyways."

"You should come with me." 

Techno stares at him. 

"I'm a mage."

Techno sighs. He needs somewhere else to go. He can't stay here for much longer, it's driving him insane. He breathes in, staring down at Fruit's grave.

"Okay." 

* * *

Techno pulls Wilbur closer to his chest, letting his little brother snuggle up to him. It's only been a month since Wilbur managed to come into their lives, but.. _man_. Techno's already willing to die for the bastard, and he knows that Phil's willing to do that, too. "Techno?" Wilbur murmurs, glancing up at him. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah," Techno mumbles back. Wilbur had had a nightmare, one about being chased. One about being chased by _hunters_. "I'm awake. Are you awake?" Wilbur giggles, giving him a light smack on the chest. "It's a genuine question, Wilbur," Techno jokes, nudging the kid. "You should get some sleep."

Wilbur makes a noise that sounds like annoyance, which is fair. "I..it's hard. I'm scared, Techno."

"I know," Techno tells him, because he does. "But I'm not gonna let anythin' happen to you, alright? You're safe here, Wilbur. Phil won't let anythin' happen to you, either. He's already actin' like your dad," he teases. "You're my little brother, right? I'm not goin' to let somethin' happen to you." Wilbur smiles at him, snuggling even closer.

"Thank you," he whispers, head pressed up against Techno's chest. "Love you, Techno."

"Love you too, Wilbur." 

* * *

"What you want to do is put the crossbow up like this," Techno demonstrates, holding it up to his eye. "And keep it a bit away from your face. It's got a kickback, and it'll punch you in the face if it's too close to you," he shifts, staring down the deer. "You wanna try?" Wilbur nods, eagerly taking the crossbow from him. Wilbur's decked out in Phil's cloak, which is _way_ too big for him. Techno's not even sure why Wilbur decided to steal it from him, and he's not sure why Phil let him, either. Whatever, not like it matters. He hears a click, watches Wilbur fumble, nearly dropping the arrow. "Alright. Breathe halfway in, shoot, rest of the way out." 

Wilbur nods, determination crossing his face. He shoots, stumbling back when the crossbow lurches back at him. Techno glances at him to make sure he's okay, before looking at the deer, which is ru-

 _Holy shit_.

"You did it!" Techno grins, grabbing Wilbur by the shoulders. "You killed it! You got the deer! First try!" He beams, excitement coursing through his veins. "We win these!" Techno cheers, nearly picking Wilbur up and twirling him around. "I'm proud of you, man. You did so good. A day ago, you couldn't even pick up the crossbow without nearly droppin' it, and you're already a pro!" Wilbur grins back at him, looking like the most prideful kid on the planet. 

"Thanks!" He ducks his head, setting the crossbow down. "You helped a lot."

"Well," Techno shrugs. "Of course I did. You're my little brother, why wouldn't I? And that was all you, Wilbur. First shot, too. God, you're already gettin' older. What am I gonna do when you move out?" Wilbur laughs, shoving him back. 

"What, you're _not_ gonna move out?"

Techno shrugs, eyes crinkling. "I might. I might not, who knows. Depends on what happens in the next couple of years." Wilbur nods, still smiling. 

"Okay. Come on! I wanna show dad!" And then he's gone, scampering off to go try and haul a deer back to the house. Techno smiles, trailing after his little brother.

He glances up at the sky, fairly certain that Fruit's watching him. He's never believed in any higher being, but..maybe this one time, he can make an exception. "Am I doin' good, Fruit?" He whispers, watching as the clouds turn to little wisps, streaking the air. "I miss you." 

Techno swears he hears his voice, he swears he hears him talk. "You're doing great, Techno. Love you."

"Love you too, Fruit." He promises. 

Maybe things aren't all that bad anymore.


End file.
